Bathtub



May 25, 1937. V E. N. BASSETT BATHTUB Filed May 26, 1936 Patented May25, 1937 uwrrsn STATES Parent @FMCE v naTn'rUB Ethel N. Bassett,Lincoln, Nehru Application May 26], 19%, Serial No. 81,82% Claims. (Cl.d lflil) My invention relates to bath tubs, its primary object 'beingthe provision of a bath tub which is especially adapted to be occupiedin a comfortably reclining position.

Another of the objects is the provision or a bath tub having a basin foruse as a foot bath and accompanied by a seat which may be occupied whiletaking a foot bath. 7

Another object of the invention is the provision of a back rest forsupporting the user at a comfortable inclination together with a basinfor receiving the feet, a wall of the basin being inclined forcomfortably resting the feet while the user is lying in the bath tub.

Another very important object of the invention is the provision of aback rest, seat, foot basin and foot rest with means for draining theseat into the basin and means for discharging the contents'of the bathtub into the house drain, the parts being so arranged that they may belrept in clean and sanitary condition with the minimum of efiort.

Having in view these objects and others which will he pointed out in thefollowing description, 1 will now refer to the drawing, in which Figurel is a plan view of my bath tub.

Figure 2 is a view in longitudinal section on the line 2--2 of Figure l.

Figiure 3 is a view in transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figures 1and 2.

in external appearance and in general dimensions, my bath tub resemblesthe standardized loath tule at present extensively in use. it dif fersfirom the prior loath tubs mainly in the shape and function of thebottom or floor of the bath. tub.

as shown in my drawing, the iioor is elevated at the head of the bathtulc'so that the end of the door is but very slightly below the upperrim of the bath tub at the head. This portion or the floor has a gentleslope downwardly and toward the rear or foot wall and it merges into thesubstantially horizontal seat portion it which has a very slightinclination upwardly and toward the rear-end of the loath tub. The seatportion merges into a rearwardly and downwardly inclined wall portion 62which in turn merges into the substantially horizontal foot portion it.at the end of this portion i3 is a foot rest portion M which is upwardlyand rearwardly inclined and which in turn merges into the rear or footwall ii of the bath tub.

The installation of my bath tub is similar to prior installations inhaving an inlet valve l8 and a drain H, the latter being usuallyprovided with the common bath tub plug. In most other respects the bathtub and its installation are similar to the prior bath tubs. v

The parts Hi, 52 and it all drain readily toward the portion H but theportion H has a very slight inclination upwardly and toward the rearwhich prevents its complete drainage of the seat. For draining thisportion it I provide a groove l8 which, as shown in Figure 2, has adistinct drainage toward the portion l4.

The bath tub is designed for use in reclining as well as in sitting andstanding. If the bath is to be taken standing up, the user simply standson the portion l3 of the floor and he may then use a sponge or a showerwhich may be installed above the bath tub. If he wishes to take a footbath alone, he fills the bottom portion l3. If he wishes to assume arestful position and to recline partially submerged in the bath tub forany length of time he assumes the posture indicated in Figure 2 with hisshoulders resting on the portion it and with his buttocks resting on theportions iii and ii at the between the portions it and Ill. The feet mayrest either on the floor portion ill or on the foot rest is depending onthe height of the user. I 'The head may rest directly on the portion illbut if desired a pillow it of sponge rubber or slurilar material may beemployed.

From the above description and the illustrations in the drawing, it willbe seen that the bath tube maybe employed for all of the uses possible.with the common bath tub and that it has a number of important uses inaddition, If used as a foot bath, the lower basin is filled with waterand the user may rest his feet in the water while he is either recliningon the heels rest ill and the seat 55, A shower or sponge bath. may betaken by standing on the foot support is. Primarily, however, the loathtube enables the user to occupy a position of perfect repose as shown inFigure 2 and to take a bath over an extended period of time without anydiscomfort whatever. This may be done to obtain the advantages oi therefreshment accompanying such a bath. The bather may read a boolr whilehe is in the bath or he may even take a nap in this position. The use ofthe bath tub in hydrotherapy, both in the home and in the hospital willalso be obvious.

While utility and comfort are of primary importance in the design of mybath tub, cleanliness was also considered. The back rest to drainsreadily onto and over the seat II and into sitting on the seat it orcurved portion the foot basin. This foot basin is provided with theusual drain so that the bath tub may easily be kept clean with a minimumof brushing. The seat being slightly inclined would be apt to hold asmall amount of water but the special provision of the trough I 8 causesthe water from the seat to drain through that trough and into the basin.

Because of the shallow depth of the major portion of my bath tub most ofthe floor space can be reached and cleaned with the minimum of stooping.My bath tub provides new reclining comfort and relaxation and it isequally suitable for child or adult. A new sitting comfort is alsoprovided by lowering the feet below the sitting level. In this newsitting position the bather has the maximum comfort,free frompressureupon the abdominal muscles and from all tension on the musclesin the back of the legs. These discomforts can not be avoided whensitting in a flat bottomed bath tub where the legs have to be extendedat right angles to the body. The foot rest coincides with the anglewhich the feet naturally assume. The foot basin is of a depth whichaccommodates both children and adults.

An important advantage of my invention is the greatly reduced waterconsumption due to the fact that there is no unused space behind thebather to be filled. The water being concentrated around the bather, theamount of water used is thus proportional to the size of the user. Thereis also a great water saving in the foot bath since only the foot basinneed be filled, not the entire tub floor covered as is necessary inother tubs.

'I'he smaller Water consumption provides another convenience especiallyin homes where there is only one tub in that the tub empties morequickly, thus enabling the whole family to bathe in less time. Theelevated seat is a feature which provides an ideal arrangement forbathing little tots as it places them within convenient reach that themother or nurse can give the bath with the greatest of ease anddispatch. My tub may also be used as a steam bath for reducing, it beingnecessary only to place a stool or some suitable device in the footbasin for elevating the feet above the water and to cover the tub with asheet.

Having thus described my invention in such full, clear, and exact termsthat its construction and operation willbe readily understood by othersskilled in the art to which it pertains, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent oi the United States is:

1. A bath tub having a floor including a head and back support inclineddownwardly and away from the head wall of the bath tub, a seat slightlyinclined upwardly and toward the foot wall of the bath tub, asubstantially horizontal foot support positioned below the level of saidseat, a wall between said seat and said foot support, said wall beingabruptly inclined downwardly and toward the foot wall of said bath tub,a drain in said foot support, and a foot rest inclined upwardly and awayfrom said foot support, said foot rest merging into the foot wall ofsaid bath tub.

2. A bath tub having a head wall and a foot wall and side walls and afloor, said floor includ- 7 ing a combined head and back support gentlyinclined downwardly and away from said head wall,

' heac and foot walls at its respective ends, and a floor between theside and end walls of said bath tub, said floor including a back supportinclined downwardly from the upper portion of the head wall of the bathtub to a position substantially midway between the head and the footwalls of the bath tub, a seat continuous with said back support andinclined upwardly and away therefrom, a downwardly projecting wallcontinuous with said seat, a substantially horizontal foot supportprojecting from the forward edge of said downwardly projecting wall, afoot rest inclined upwardly and toward the foot wall of said bath tub,said foot rest being continuous with said foot wall and with said footsupport, said downwardly projecting wall and said foot rest andsaid'foot support with portions, of said side walls enclosing a.depressed basin, a drain in said basin, and a depressed groove in saidseat for draining the water from said seat into said basin.

4. In a bath tub, a foot basin, a substantially horizontal seatprojecting outwardly and away from the upper edge of said foot basin,and an inclined back and head rest projecting from said seat, said footbasin, seat, and back and head rest being of integral construction, andthe overall length of said foot basin and said seat being substantiallyequal to the length of said back and head rest whereby the bather maycomfortably occupy said seat in either upright or reclining position.

5. A bath tub having a floor, including a head and back support inclineddownwardly and away from the head wall of the bath tub, a foot wall, asubstantially horizontal elevated seat complementary to said inclinedsupport, a substantially horizontal foot support positioned below thelevel of said seat, a substantially vertical wall between said seat andsaid foot support, and a drain in said foot support.

ETHEL N. BASSETT.

